E-Paper
Sign in
Sunil Gavaskar walks up to Shubman Gill after India captain narrowly misses his record, floors him with priceless gift
Shubman Gill produced a career-defining outing in the five-Test series, ending with 754 runs to his name in 10 innings.
India’s Test captain Shubman Gill may have narrowly missed out on breaking one of the most iconic batting records in Indian cricket, but he earned something just as memorable: an emotional nod from the man who set the benchmark more than five decades ago. On a tense third day at the Oval, as India chased a series-levelling win against England, the post-match scenes provided a heartwarming moment when Sunil Gavaskar gifted Gill a signed cap and shirt as a gesture of respect towards the youngster's performance in the series.
Gill ended the five-Test Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy with 754 runs in 10 innings, falling just 21 runs short of surpassing Gavaskar's India record for most runs in a Test series. However, Gill's incredible batting contribution played a key role in keeping the series alive, and Gavaskar, who has been part of the broadcast team, walked up to the Indian captain after play and presented him with personal memorabilia, a rare gesture from one of Indian cricket’s most revered figures.
Also read: Dinesh Karthik tells Siraj, 'You've stood up when Bumrah is not there', he reacts: ‘Chance to bowl at tailenders…’
“This is a little cap, which I give to very few people with my signature,” Gavaskar told Gill as he handed it over. The 74-year-old then revealed he would be wearing his ‘lucky jacket’ the next day, the same one he wore during India’s famous win at the Gabba in 2021, when Gill scored a defining 91 in the fourth-innings chase of 328.
Watch:
Gill came into the fifth Test with a real shot at toppling Gavaskar's 774-run mark but endured a rare off-game, scoring 21 and 11. His second-innings dismissal, off the first ball after lunch, ended the chase for the record.
Nevertheless, the 25-year-old did manage to surpass Gavaskar in another corner of the record books. His 754-run tally now stands as the most by an Indian Test captain in a single series, surpassing Gavaskar’s 732 runs from the 1978/79 series against West Indies, a mark that had stood for 46 years.
India have set England a daunting target of 374 in the final Test, and while time may not be their enemy, facing a relentless Indian pace attack led by Mohammed Siraj promises to be the real challenge. England lost their first wicket of the innings on the last ball of the day, with Siraj castling Zak Crawley; the side finished Day 3 at 50/1.
